Show me Love
by Lady Starwing
Summary: Roughly based off of the song "Show me Love" by tATu. Prelloyd. five years post game. Love and friendship tangle themselves up as Lloyd and Presa find themselves falling for one another more each day. And when Genis gets involved, things get worse ...
1. Butterflies

"_Someone once told me that a strong person never cried … But, I believe that it takes a truly strong person to know when it's okay to cry."_

Presea sighed at the thought, her seventeen year old body leaning against the frame of the window in the inn room of Meltokio. It had been five years since the group had restored the world and now Zelos had thrown a party for them all at his mansion. The only reason why Presea was at the inn was because she had arrived a few days early due to a job that she had needed to do, but she would be heading out for Zelos' mansion the next day.

Five years had done wonders for the pinket. Her curves—although modest—were fully developed, and she stood at nearly five foot seven. Her breasts were of a good size for her height, and now the sakura colored locks that she had formerly kept up in ponytails now fell loosely over her shoulders, framing a serene face and calm grey-blue eyes.

'I wonder how the others have changed …' Presea thought, blinking as a smile worked its way onto her face. She hadn't seen any of the others for a while, and the one she had seen most often was Regal; understandable, seeing as how she worked for him. Stifling a giggle, Presea heard her stomach rumble, and she turned towards the door. Her outfit had changed … minimally, simply growing as she had. Pulling on her boots, Presea grabbed the key to her inn room and stuck it in the belt pack she carried with her and headed out the door.

Walking through the streets, Presea found her gaze looking towards the setting sun; it was glorious, this time of year, and it seemed to be a beautiful shade of rose red. Her gaze was so intent upon the fiery orb in the sky that she didn't notice the man in mostly black walking perpendicular with her until they collided. Presea yelped, and attempted to move out of the man's way; this resulted in her tangling her legs together and falling over, only to have her arm grabbed by the man.

"Oh my!! I'm sorry, I didn't noti—Is that you, Presea!?" The man exclaimed, and if it weren't for the fact that the voice was deeper and softer, Presea would've sworn that it was Lloyd. Glancing up as she steadied herself, the pinket found herself looking at the very person she had figured it was; Lloyd Irving-Aurion, in the flesh, his wine red eyes every bit as wide as hers.

"Lloyd?" Presea asked dumbly, feeling oddly short of breath as she looked him over; at twenty-three, Lloyd had grown every bit as much as she had; he now stood somewhere around six feet tall—give or take half an inch—and his hair was beginning to fall into his face. A few auburn highlights had become more obvious, and the reddish strands made his hair even more unusual. That, coupled with the mature face and nearly-royal profile added up to someone who took after his father rather well in the looks department. Presea blushed at that, and stepped back to look Lloyd over. She dimly noticed that he was doing the same with her, those hypnotizing wine colored eyes slowly taking in her entire form.

While Lloyd's outfit had maintained its dichromatic color scheme, it had changed drastically in appearance. He now wore a black turtleneck sweater with a red falcon on the right side of the chest beneath a crimson duster jacket, which was edged in black with silver buckles shaped like feathers. One of his twin blades was strapped to his left shoulder, while the second hung off of a pale white belt at his waist. Black cargo pants went down to his ankles, covering the rim of a pair of wine red and blood colored boots. He had somehow managed to get his hands on a thin white scarf, and he wore it around his neck.

'Oh my Gawd …' Presea thought to herself, feeling her face steadily grow redder as she looked him over. "I—it's good to see you, Lloyd." She forced out after a moment, finding her eyes especially interested in Lloyd's boots; or rather, the ground in front of them. While she had possessed no attraction to him when they had been traveling together, she had still been trying to adjust to the sensation of actually having emotions. Now that she had had time to adjust and utilize them, Presea began to wonder if her emotions were all that good for her to have; Lloyd was—and it was so blaringly obvious now that even a couple of girls passing by them stopped and looked at him in wonder—VERY attractive.

"It's good to see you too, Presea." Lloyd's voice broke Presea from her reverie, and she forced herself to look into his face. Lloyd had a soft smile on his face, and his hands had returned to the pockets of his duster. "I was just passing through the area, and I decided to stop here for right now before heading towards Sybak tomorrow." Presea blinked at that, which didn't go unnoticed by Lloyd. "Hmm? Something wrong, Presea?" He asked, tilting his head to one side and arching a single eyebrow.

"Didn't you hear?" Presea asked, stunned.

"About what?" Lloyd was clearly confused by this point. Presea sighed.

"About the reunion party that Zelos is throwing the day after tomorrow for the eight of us." She said blandly, hoping that Lloyd had simply forgotten. To her shock, Lloyd still seemed puzzled by this, making Presea hiss in annoyance. "I am going to hit Zelos next time I see him; he _said_ he sent you the invitation!! That idiot of a Chosen."

"… Did he say _where_ he sent it?" Lloyd asked, his face switching to confused to an annoyed expression that was so similar to the one that Kratos used to use it was somewhere between eerie and amusing. Presea blinked, looked up at Lloyd, and shook her head; he sighed and held his head in one hand while he shook it. "That idiot; I told him several times that if he wanted to get a hold of me, he was to send word to Yuan, who knows where I am wherever I am." He grumbled darkly. Presea looked up at him at that, and found herself blushing at his actions; was everything he did now going to do this to her hormone ridden body?!

"Oh … I see …" She said simply, looking at the ground once again. "… I still have an urge to hit him though." Presea looked up at Lloyd as he laughed, delighted by the way the noise seemed to rumble a bit before hitting the air.

"I do to; you wanna hit him first, or does it not matter?" He asked gently, giving her the same sweet smile she had seen so often during the Journey. Save for when he had given them then, this actually took her breath away; that worried her, because she still didn't fully understand what was going on.

A loud rumbling broke the silence, and the two looked at one another. Presea blushed, but this time from embarrassment; it had been her stomach. Lloyd blinked for a moment, and then gave her a coy grin coupled with an arched eyebrow. "So I'm not the only one here who's hungry, it seems." He commented, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping one foot on the stone road. Presea nodded, fighting to keep her blush down.

"I … was headed for dinner when I ran into you." She admitted, looking at him sheepishly. At least now she wasn't blushing, but a feeling that was best described as butterflies was beginning to overtake her stomach. "Were you heading somewhere in particular?"

"No, but if you want, we can get food together; I haven't seen you at all in the last five years!" Lloyd smiled again, and before Presea could protest—he had wrapped an arm around her shoulders and began walking her over to a restaurant nearby. Presea's face skipped pink and went straight to crimson, her heart racing. Lloyd smiled as he continued, "I went to Altamira once, but Regal said that you off doing something for him; that was irritating, because I had wanted to see you."

"You … wanted to see me?" Presea asked softly, looking up at him in wonder. Lloyd actually turned to look at her with a smile, and the light from the setting sun and the street lights cast his face in striking shadows, and his eyes seemed to glow.

"Yeah; I was really starting to miss you." He admitted, and would've added more if they hadn't reached the restaurant. Once inside, they were politely shown to a table by a blushing waitress—apparently, good looking swordsmen in their early twenties weren't too common around there apart from Zelos. After giving her their orders—and Lloyd asking gently if she was alright, because she was awfully red in the face—the waitress left them to talk for a while.

Presea was amazed at the stories that Lloyd was telling her about his journey to rid the world of Expsheres; in six years of his life, he had done more than she had ever thought possible of any human being. And from the look of it, he would've gone on longer than this if he had need to.

"Compared to you, I feel so … insignificant." Presea murmured after a moment, her eyes oddly intent on the wood grain in front of her. Lloyd looked at her in shock.

"What? Why; you've done just as much as I have!! Regal told me how you stopped those Exsphere smugglers from getting into the Toize mines on your own." He gently reprimanded her, smiling while he did so. When Presea looked up at him in shocked wonder, he actually leaned partially over the table and poked the tip of her nose. "Don't go and give me the whole 'I'm unimportant' spheal, please. I missed you too much to let you be such a grump around me." He told her, and Presea found the butterflies slowly returning. She was about to say something when an all too familiar voice cut into the air.

"No way in hell!!! Bud!!!" Lloyd actually groaned at the redhead's voice, and buried his face in a hand again.

"Now him, I wouldn't have minded seeing until tomorrow." He hissed as Zelos trotted over to their table and pulled up a chair; for someone who was in his mid twenties, the Chosen seemed rather childish, Presea decided. He had gotten a hair cut though.

"Hello, Zelos." She stated blandly, which made him look at her.

"Ah, so my lovely rose bud has bloomed!! It's wonderful to see you too, Presea!!" He chirped, beaming at her. Presea schooled her face into neutrality, but a bit of her was glad to see Lloyd level a mostly concealed glare at Zelos. The effect was the same, however, and Zelos either guessed on knew from past experience—Kratos had nearly killed him with the same glare numerous times—and promptly shut up.

A few more moments passed in silence after that, and Lloyd was sipping from his drink when Zelos asked slyly, "So bud, gotten laid yet?" Presea felt her face go bright red, and Lloyd choked on the water. Sputtering, the brunet glared at Zelos with murderous intentions most likely playing through his mind.

"Why do you ask?" He asked dangerously, drumming some of his fingers on the table. Presea glanced at him, and seeing that he was serious, didn't comment. The question still bothered her though, and she ducked behind the book she had brought along, face redder than Lloyd's duster.

"Well, with your looks, I'd expect you've gotten yourself a posse of some kind." Zelos replied evenly, smiling at him. Lloyd wasn't amused, but he continued on, "and you know that there's nothing a woman likes more in bed than a sex—" Presea didn't need to look to know that Lloyd had smacked him, _hard;_ the sound of leather covered hand contacting with a person's skull tended to do that. "OW!!"

"Tactless as ever." Lloyd muttered, looking at Presea in worry. She was staring far more intently at the book in her hands than usual. Peeking over the edge, he asked gently, "you okay there, Presea." Presea looked up, and seeing his face so close to hers, blushed and nodded an affirmative.

Their meals arrived then, and Zelos turned to flirting with the waitress rather than the tormenting of his friends. Lloyd thanked the young woman with a smile that made her blush far more than any of the Chosen's comments, and Presea simply nodded her head. needless to say, an awkward silence covered the table while they ate, and it was only broken when Zelos asked cautiously, "do either of you two have anything nice to wear for the dance Thursday night?"

"Dance?" Lloyd and Presea demanded at once, both of them staring at Zelos like he was an idiot. The chosen blinked, and then blinked again.

"Oh, I forgot; I never got an RSVP from you two, so I didn't send that to you either …" He commented dumbly, then smiled brightly. "Well, since you two are going to be showing up tomorrow, I guess we can have the tailor come in and look you two over!!" Lloyd groaned, and would've commented about how troublesome the tailor had been the last time if the waitress hadn't come with the bill. Shockingly, the swordsman didn't ask either of his friends to help him out, and simply fished the money out on his own.

"Damn, are you loaded or something?" Zelos asked, stunned. Lloyd shook his head at that.

"No, but I do have a reasonable amount from the thugs and Desians I took care of over the years as well." He said as he stood, offering his hand to Presea. "Let's get going Presea, it's late. See you tomorrow then, Zelos."

"Yes, good night, Zelos." Presea called over her shoulder a moment later, nearly forgetting everything when Lloyd's hand wrapped around hers. Zelos gave them a casual wave, but once they were gone, the redhead slumped back in his chair and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now I'm kina glad that the brat couldn't make it; he would've pitched a fit over this …" He commented to himself, wondering if it was wise to inform Genis that Lloyd and Presea _possibly_ had something between them; the half-elf would've used any spell in his disposal to keep them apart.

Out on the street, Lloyd and Presea were walking hand in hand back to the inn, with Presea leaning slightly against Lloyd's arm. "Do you have a room here as well?" She asked when they were nearly there.

"Mm? Oh, no." He admitted, actually looking away with a faint blush. Presea giggled at his forgetfulness and shook her head, her hair brushing the side of his arm.

"You are as forgetful as ever, it seems." She teased, earning a faint cough in response. "You can share my room, in that case."

"You sure?" Lloyd asked her, eyes wide. "I mean, I'm in my twenties and well, you look underage …" Presea automatically understood what he was saying, and shook her head to cut him off.

"I don't mind; Zelos lives in this city, remember?" She commented as they entered, and she waved her key in the bellhop's general direction; she gave them a smile and went back to her work. As they climbed up the stairs, Presea added, "Besides, I trust you more than I trust Zelos; he would not sleep in the same room as me in a century." Lloyd actually chuckled at that, but when he saw the room's solitary bed, he went slightly pale.

'Well, it's large, so we can both lie on it with little trouble.' He reasoned with himself, taking off his boots when Presea did. When she took her pajamas and went into the bathroom to change, Lloyd simply sighed and plopped his bags down in the closet, taking his duster off soon after. Hanging it up, he pulled the shirt and gloves off of his head before tucking them into the bag and taking off his belt; he normally slept like this.

Lying down on the bed, Lloyd looked out the window at the stars as Presea re-entered the room. "Are you … going to sleep like this, Lloyd?" She asked, blushing horribly. Lloyd looked over at her and was about to reply, but stopped and blushed himself when he saw her.

Her pajamas were pale blue, and there were rabbits leaping over crescent moons on the pants. Presea also held a hair tie in one hand and a hairbrush. "W—woah …" He stammered out after a moment, blushing more. "Th—those look … nice." He told her, then remembered she had asked him something. "Oh! Yeah … I usually go to bed like this … do you want me to put a shirt back on?" He asked. To his shock, Presea shook her head.

"It's fine … but, could you please help me with my hair?" She asked softly, running her fingers through the sakura colored locks. Lloyd smiled and sat up, patting the mattress before him.

"Braid okay with you?" He asked as Presea settled herself, taking the hair tie and hairbrush from her. Presea nodded and leaned back into Lloyd's bare chest as he took care of her hair, relishing in the sensation of his fingers running through her hair. "Let me know if I hurt you." He whispered gently by her ear, making her jump slightly; his breath was so nice and warm, and she could feel his throat vibrate against her shoulder as he spoke. Her blush returned, and she only nodded slightly.

'What is wrong with me? Every touch now, every word of his, every action, it makes me feel so … safe.' Presea pondered, her eyes sliding partially closed. 'Is there a name to this feeling? I believe there is; is this … _love?_' Her musings were cut off by a painful tug. "Ow."

"Sorry; it's tangled right here." Lloyd muttered, gently pulling the knot apart before continuing to brush the pink hair out. Presea smiled as the gentle touch continued, and she had all but fallen asleep when he finished. "All done." He told her, once again whispering in her ear. Presea nodded with a faint 'mm', but didn't move away. To her shock, Lloyd didn't object, and finally sighed in defeat.

With skill, he pulled the blankets out from both of them and laid down, startled when Presea pressed back against him. Instead of objecting and pushing her away, he chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Good night then, Presea." He murmured, and the pinket woke up suddenly, her thoughts shockingly clear.

Yes, this was love.

* * *

_Well, this is my first time at doing a Prelloyd story, so I'm sorry if they're too OOC. But yeah, this is five years post game, and for those of you who are worrying that this will have no plot after their confession, don't you worry; Genis is going to be a BIG factor in their relationship once he finds out about it. XD_

_And as for WHY Lloyd is getting eyed by girls, come on!! He's related to _KRATOS!!!_XD Anybody related to that guy has got to have good looks!!! XD_

_Review please!!!_


	2. Figuring out my heart

The next morning dawned bright and early, the light from the rising sun sending harsh beams of light into Presea's eyes, making the pinket groan and attempt to roll over and shut out the light; the key word there being "attempt", due to the fact that someone who was larger than her and very warm was spooning her, their chest rising and falling gently. After panicking for a heartbeat, Presea blushed and opened her eyes slowly, glancing down her body to see one of Lloyd's arm draped across her waist and clutching her to him, one of his legs tangled with hers. She could feel his warmth through the thin fabric of her pajamas, and unless she was mistaken, his mouth was only scant inches away from her ear, blowing warm air across the shell.

'This … I don't know if I should be embarrassed or comforted by this closeness …' Presea's mind was slowly turning to mush from the close proximity that their bodies were in, but she didn't want to wake him up just yet. During the journey, she had found that Lloyd look so … defenseless in his sleep that she almost regretted having to wake him up. He usually took the midnight-dawn watch period, however, so it was rare to see him asleep.

Almost as if he had heard, Lloyd let out a soft moan and rolled onto his back, still asleep, the arm that had been holding Presea against him falling partially across his face. It took the pinket a second to realize that she had been released, and when she did, Presea only managed to sit up, looking at Lloyd with her face slowly going pinker and brighter than before. Like he had been during the journey, Lloyd maintained that defenseless appearance, but now that there was no sleeping bag to obscure his upper body, she could easily tell that he was more than ready to defend himself.

Another thing struck Presea as incredible as she found herself looking him over; Lloyd's tan skin was crisscrossed with multiple thin scars, testament to all of the battles he had been in. But instead of diminishing his appearance, it seemed almost like they were accenting the powerful build of his torso, highlighting the places where Presea could trace his chest muscles if she was brave enough to reach out and touch him. The light accented his features wondrously, granting Lloyd a nearly unreal beauty, a sleeping angel.

Presea flushed even brighter at the cliché (which in reality was the truth), but she managed to summon up enough courage to lean over Lloyd's body, entranced by the way the light made his skin glow. It was almost fair, she decided, that such a perfect build could given to someone who could most likely live for centuries, instead of one being who would pass away before even one century passed. Her eyes saw no imperfection, no flaw to mar him at first glance.

Then her eyes caught something subtle and nearly inconspicuous; curious, Presea leaned in closer and found herself looking at what appeared to be an indent in the middle of Lloyd's collarbone; perhaps it had been broken or something. Cautiously, one hand reached out and traced along the raised skin where bone and muscle met; yes, it had been broken at some point, but it had healed over remarkably well, as she never remembered Lloyd complaining about a wound like this. And now, with this one flaw, Presea found that Lloyd was even more incredible, but he was not perfect. He had his flaws, imperfections that made him blaringly human, despite his angelic appearance.

It was only at this point that Presea realized that she had been staring at Lloyd for what felt like a good couple of hours, but was in reality only a few moments. Her face went bright red, and she fell onto her rear as she backed away from the young man. 'I … I've never done something like that before …' Presea realized, her heart pounding in her chest, her breathing shortened out. She'd never been in love before, or felt anything remotely close to it, and yet this feeling of breathlessness … was this part of it? 'I should go take a shower before he wakes up … get my thoughts under control ...' she told herself, and quickly scrambled off of the bed and gathered clean clothes before heading into the bathroom.

* * *

Lloyd awoke to the noise of water running in the next room over. Briefly disoriented, he blinked a couple of times to regain his bearings, and then chuckled to himself as he remembered what had happened the night before. Presea had offered to let him stay with her in the room she had rented that night before they headed over for Zelos' that day.

Smiling, Lloyd sat up fully and stretched; that was perhaps the best sleep he had had since the journey with the others. His skin was tingling slightly where his collarbone had been broken once, and his mind began to wonder what had caused it. 'Odd …' he thought, running his fingers over the indent. He had received the blow in the last battle with his father, and hadn't even noticed it until after the fight with Origin.

He also vaguely remembered having someone lean over him earlier, but he couldn't fully tell if it was his dream or if it was real life. Whichever it was, it had felt so nice, but it had ended almost as soon as it had begun. While he didn't exactly know what it was, Lloyd had a good guess in mind; Presea.

That made him sigh again. While he wasn't as dense as he let on, what he was feeling now was confusing him to no end. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but all he knew was that Presea felt special to him. She was the one who … who always made him smile again, who made him try his hardest to excel, no matter how often she made his heart hurt. During the few times where she had smiled back at him, he felt like flying up into the skies and never coming back down.

Five years without seeing her had been ... torturous, if Lloyd was to be honest with himself; he had reconciled his relationship with Colette shortly before his journey began, and Sheena was already engaged to a warrior from another hidden village. He had never even considered the professor, who had started up a relationship with the half-elf Linar from Asgard; he wished the two bookworms luck and happiness. (He had also said that he hoped their kids shared their love of history; Raine had blushed and smacked him for it however) And ... he knew he had NO interest in the male side of the spectrum; it was irritating when people asked him if he was.

No, Lloyd knew that he wasn't interested in men, not that he held it against the men who did find love in the same sex. If there was anyone Lloyd would ever say he felt like he was in love with, it would have to be the pinket showering in the next room over. He couldn't stop thinking about her, and he always wanted to see her smile, wanted to hug her and never let go, to kiss her and say that he loved her. There was just one problem with that blissful fantasy, however; one silver-haired, magical master, highly intelligent problem.

Genis.

Even after they had found out how old Presea really was, the half-elf had continued to pine for her, but Presea truly didn't care for him in that sense. But that no more stopped Genis than all the roadblocks had stopped Lloyd from saving the worlds; he still felt absolutely devoted to her. If Lloyd showed any signs of his affection for Presea show in any way, he wouldn't put it past Genis in the least to use a spell along the lines of Explosion on him. And perhaps that was what he hated about this affection the most. Love was a blessing, but he had also decided long ago that it could also be used to kill as well; nothing killed a person more effectively than being without a loved one, Lloyd figured, remembering what Kratos had told him about his actions after Anna's death, and the insanity that had claimed Mithos after losing Martel.

"Oh, good morning, Lloyd." Presea's voice in the hallway caught Lloyd off guard, and he looked at Presea as she walked into the room. She was as beautiful as she had been the day before, but today her hair was done up in a low ponytail, leaving only her bangs free to frame her face. Lloyd blinked and felt a blush slowly work its way onto his face as he got off the bed. Chuckling nervously, he scratched the back of his neck with one hand; he must've been lost in his thoughts for longer than he had thought.

"Heh ... good morning, Presea." he replied after a moment, fighting to make his face regain its natural color. "I ... take it the shower's free now?" He asked, grabbing clothes from his bag as he walked towards the open bathroom door. Presea--who had been watching him walk towards her--blushed as his arm bumped lightly against hers, making her skin tingle.

"Y--yes, you can use it now; it might be a bit steamy though ..." She commented, to which Lloyd shrugged and entered the room. After the door had been shut however, Presea fell to her knees, face as red as humanly possible as a very Zelos-like part of her mind started suggesting rather interesting scenes as soon as the words 'Lloyd' and 'steamy' reached it. 'No, no ... bad Presea, don't be thinking that way ... you left puberty behind two years ago ... don't try to imagine Lloyd in the ... NO!!! Do not try to picture it!! Get such thoughts out of your head, and get a hold of yourself!!' She yelled mentally at herself, trying to regain the natural color of her face.

Once the majority of her perverse thoughts had passed, Presea stood and packed her clothes away again, and then pulled on her boots. Since they would be heading over for Zelos' that day, there was no need in renting a room when it wasn't needed. Sitting in a chair, Presea let her thoughts slowly drift, but they ultimately came back to Lloyd. She still didn't know _why_ she loved him, but her emotions simply clamored around him.

But then again ... Lloyd had done so much for her when they first met. He had given her the Key Crest that had brought back her humanity, he'd forgiven her for doing something she couldn't control, helped her bury her father ... he even helped her to control the first of her emotions to emerged; hatred. He also tried daily to make her smile, as did Genis.

Genis ... now he was a complication. Presea sighed and looked out the window, her eyes slowly growing tired. No matter how often she thought about it, she just couldn't bring herself to share the affection that he gave to her. He was just … too immature, in her eyes. He also held a stigma about how his race was treated by humans, and he just couldn't seem to quite get over it yet.

And then, there was simply how helpful Lloyd had been throughout the entire journey, always managing to give her a smile when she most needed it. Compared to him, Genis seemed just … not her type. Presea flushed at the thought, and began to ponder on something that she knew would be bugging her throughout the day.

'When did I start to fall?'

It was something that Presea honestly couldn't answer right away, because she didn't know herself.. 'All I know is that I love him … I love him a lot.' Presea reassured herself, smiling as she traced a heart on the small amount of dust that had accumulated on the windowsill. Filled with a slightly fangirlish attitude, Presea subconsciously wrote Lloyd's name inside the heart, giggling when she noticed what she had written.

"Hmm? Is something funny going on outside, Presea?" Lloyd's voice near her ear made Presea nearly leap a foot in the air. Fortunately, the pinket's motions managed to smudge out enough of her mindless doodling so Lloyd couldn't tell that she was hopelessly crushing on. When he saw how bright red in the face Presea was, Lloyd's forehead wrinkled in concern as he placed a hand on her forehead. "Do you not feel well?" He asked gently, voice filled with worry.

Once again, Presea forced herself to look up at the young man with wide eyes as his gentle nature took over and he took it upon himself to make sure one of his friends was feeling well. Ignoring the sharp jolt to her heart that came when she did so, Presea shook her head and slowly reached up and grasped Lloyd's wrist in her hands. "No … I'm fine, Lloyd …" She assured him, forcing a smile onto her face as she stood. Grabbing her bag, she walked to the door. "Let's get going then … I don't want to deal with the tailor for as long as we had to last time …"

Lloyd's face gained a brief expression of mock annoyance as he walked towards her, groaning at the thought of having to deal with the tailor again. "I hope I actually get my outfit on time this go around." He muttered, grabbing his bag and walking out the door, his arm once again looping around Presea's in a friendly hug after she had returned the key and they left the inn.

Presea blushed and allowed her eyes to focus on the dirt in front of her, saving her the embarrassment of having to look around at the people staring at them in surprise, and in the case of several young women, admiration of Lloyd and disgust at Presea. She ignored it as best as she could, but a part of her began to wonder if it was because she was with Lloyd, or if it was because she appeared seventeen and was with perhaps one of the most handsome men around. Blushing again at the thought of actually being Lloyd's romantic companion, Presea decided that the best thing to do was to go along with it, and she smiled and wrapped her arm around his waist.

Reaching Zelos' house in good time, Lloyd and Presea walked right up to the door and knocked lightly. "Hey, Zelos, you up yet?" Lloyd called, and was mildly surprised when the door opened up. Half expecting Sebastian to be the one opening the door, the brunet began to enter the mansion, Presea's hand still in his.

"LLOYD!!!" The squeal and the tackle-glomp that followed the door opening was highly unexpected, and it was only the fact that Lloyd had opened his hand in shock that Presea was spared from being knocked down like the brunet was. Blinking, the two stared in shock when they saw who was clinging to Lloyd and squealing like there was no tomorrow; Colette.

The blond hadn't changed much physically; her curves were still modest, and she was still quite the ironing board. Her outfit had also changed little, save for her skirt was now slightly shorter. Continuing whit her squealing, Colette did not notice that Presea was still standing there, slightly miffed.

Presea found herself annoyed, and highly peeved. Colette hadn't been the one who had openly shared her room – and her bed, but thinking about that made her blush – with Lloyd, and yet here Colette was, hugging him like he was her stuffed animal. 'She … that little brat!!' Presea hissed mentally, although she kept her face worried for Lloyd's health as she pried Colette off of him. 'How dare she hug him!! Lloyd is mine now, MINE!!'

Presea quickly grabbed the fangirl part of herself and stuffed it quickly into a box that read 'do not open until marriage'. "Hello, Colette; how're you doing today?" Presea asked instead, smiling weakly. Colette looked up at her and removed herself from Lloyd and tackled Presea instead.

"Hey Presea!! Look at you, wow you've grown!!" She squealed, oblivious to the venomous thoughts running through Presea's mind. The blond was so wrapped up in talking and leading the two into Zelos' house that she didn't notice the way Lloyd reached out for Presea as soon as he could. "Hold on right here, I'll go let Zelos know you're here!!" She chirruped after a moment, running off.

Once he was certain that Colette was out of hearing range, Lloyd turned to Presea. "Wow … I didn't think Colette would be here, of all people." He commented, chuckling weakly. Presea nodded and looked after the blond, a trace of dislike still within her.

She knew now that she loved Lloyd, but it hurt still to see Colette act like she always had around him. True, he had been caught off guard by her welcome as well, so she had little to complain about. 'But still … this pain I feel when she hugs him, it really hurts.' Presea thought, placing a hand to her chest over her heart when Lloyd had turned about; she didn't want to worry him. 'Please … any god out there who happens to hear me … let me be able to tell him how I feel soon …' She prayed, watching as Colette came back into the room, leading Zelos and the tailor from five years ago into the room as well.

'Please … let Lloyd know that I love him.'

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_A/N: Ah eh heh heh … nothing too special this time around. The next chapter will have a bit more romance, as it will be at the dance. Until then … review, please!!_


	3. Show me

Lloyd looked around the majestic parlor in annoyance, one hand tugging at the neck of his formal outfit. The tailor had been good about delivering the stuffy outfit on time, but it had been a major pain to stand still while it was being fitted. '… Why does it have to be white? …' Lloyd asked himself mentally, glaring down at the white and gold outfit. It was the same style as the suit he had worn five years previously, save for it was cut for an older form. And instead of there being red trimming, the accents were a deep, ocean blue.

"You know … you look a lot like your father when you're glowering like that." Zelos commented from one side, raising an eyebrow as Lloyd shot him a glare. "Hey, don't bite my head off, but it's quite true; the resemblance is kind of freaking me out."

"It's the outfit." Lloyd huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, garnet red eyes narrowing down to mere slits. Zelos raised a sole eyebrow and walked over to him, draping and arm over Lloyd's one shoulder. The redhead wore a dove grey tuxedo with a cream colored undershirt, his now shoulder length red curls restrained by a short braid. A white rose corsage was pinned above the breast pocket, and if the looks from the female half of the room were any indication, he was still single.

"No, Lloyd; the outfit's only the half of it. You've been getting the stares that I don't get, and let me tell you, that's quite impressive." Zelos reasoned with Lloyd, winking at a couple of women that passed them. They both blushed, walking away. Lloyd simply sighed.

"Only to you," He retorted, shaking his head wearily. "I'd rather NOT have an army of girls begging me to carry my children … it grosses me out."

"My friend …" Zelos began to pat Lloyd's shoulder, a smirk on his face. "You really do need to get laid." The look on Lloyd's face the second after Zelos had said it was absolutely worth it to the redhead, even if it did mean he was on the wrong end of the Aurion Death Glare™. Laughing, he continued, "But knowing you, the only girl you're going to want to sleep with …" Scanning the parlor, Zelos spotted the young woman in question, and he pointed to her. "… Is talking to our favorite, seven month pregnant summoner, just fifteen feet … away," Lloyd glared at Zelos as he finished, one foot tapping on the ground in annoyance.

"… You just want to see Genis Grave my ass, don't you?" He said flatly after a moment, and the tone of his voice was so reminiscent of his father's that Zelos actually blinked and stepped back a couple of feet. Sighing, Lloyd shook his head and walked towards where Sheena and Presea were talking. He had nearly reached them when a new voice reached his ears.

"Lloyd-san, I almost didn't recognize you there." Turning his head to look, Lloyd smiled lightly at the sight of Sheena's husband Tenko walking towards him, striking in a black and indigo suit. His deep storm blue eyes looked as open as they had when he and Lloyd had met three years ago a week before his and Sheena's wedding.

"Tenko, you look tormented; good to know I'm not the only one." Lloyd commented, spying the look that was mostly hidden behind the older man's bland face that he usually wore when surrounded by strangers. Tenko looked at Lloyd and chuckled weakly. While Sheena had original been apprehensive about introducing her crush to her fiancé, Lloyd and Tenko got along rather well; Tenko knew that Lloyd understood about the reasoning behind the marriage, and Lloyd knew that Tenko wouldn't let Sheena get hurt.

"I don't understand why the nobility insist on tormenting themselves by wearing such stuffy clothing." Tenko agreed with Lloyd's previous statement, nodding slightly. "And how have you been, Lloyd-san? We haven't seen you since the wedding." He asked as the two walked over to stand with Sheena and Presea. This, of course, brought their arrival to Sheena's attention.

Even though she was clearly pregnant, Sheena was still beautiful enough to make many a man sigh. The kimono she wore was an elegant shade of midnight blue, with an indigo and lavender flower stitched near the hem of her skirt. She positively beamed when she saw Lloyd. "Lloyd!" She hugged him quickly and pulled away quickly, letting her husband hold her in one arm. Smiling at Presea, she said, "Presea, this is my husband Itsukuro Tenko. Tenko-koi, this is my old friend Presea Combatir."

Presea turned to look at Tenko and shook his hand, giving a light nice to meet you before she turned to look at Lloyd. What she saw when she tilted her face up to look into his was absolutely priceless; Lloyd was staring at her with an awed look, a faint blush on his cheekbones.

Although he'd seen her briefly when Zelos had pointed her out, Lloyd had been too busy glaring at the ex-Chosen to fully examine the outfit the tailor had prepared for Presea. It was stunning; in a complete 180 compared with her outfit five years ago, Presea now wore a strapless dress that left her arms bare, the silk it was made from as black as Lloyd's outfit was white, and there were small silver flecks down one side. Black lace gloves came up to her shoulders, and Presea had found a sheer black shawl to wear across her shoulders. '… Beautiful …' he thought, and smiled at her.

"Are you alright, Lloyd?" Presea asked gently, blinking in concern as she looked at him. Lloyd seemed to snap out of his stupor as she spoke, and he smiled brightly at her.

"Just thinking about how nice you look in that dress." He said sweetly, smiling at her gently. Presea blushed in turn, and she nodded meekly. Sheena – sensing the awkward moment, smiled at them both and steered Tenko over to speak with Regal, leaving the two alone. Lloyd noticed this and made a mental note to thank the summoner before he smiled back at Presea. "So … why do you think the party had to be this big?" He asked, looking around the room in annoyance. Presea giggled; Lloyd really was taking after Kratos – they both hated large parties.

"This is Zelos we're talking about. The first chance he gets to throw a large party, he takes it." She commented lightly, shaking her head and looking around for the said Chosen. "It makes me wonder what his wedding will be like ..."

"I'm still in shock that someone's managed to tie him down." Lloyd commented in return, shaking his head. Almost as if it was an impulse, he wrapped an arm around Presea's shoulders again. "But then again, this _is_ Colette we're talking about; she's too charming to not love." He said casually, leaning his head against Presea's. "Well, I care for her like a little sister; I've known her too long to consider anything else."

Presea – who had stiffened at the statement – relaxed and smiled to herself. "True – she does have that sweetness about her that makes people either hate her or love her." Leaning in to Lloyd's touch, Presea wrapped her arm around Lloyd's waist. " ... Is there a reason you came over to talk to me?" She asked sweetly, wondering why Lloyd had come towards her. Although mentally, she had a wish; she wanted to hear three certain words from Lloyd ... she wanted to hear them soon. And while people that saw her all thought she was too young for Lloyd – outside of the group, at least – when in reality, she was the second eldest – no, third; Kratos was over four thousand, after all.

But ... she loved Lloyd; Presea knew that even if she looked her real age, she would still love Lloyd. He'd saved her from the Angelus Project, and pulled her back into the stream of time. Smiling up at him, the pinket felt a light inside of her light up as Lloyd smiled gently at her in return. "Do ... do you want to dance, when the floor's less cluttered?" She asked, leaning against him, savoring the warmth that his body let off.

Lloyd blushed, but he smiled. "Sure." 'Oh yeah, Genis is SO going to kill me once he hears about this ... ah, to hell with it; his loss for going to that mage convention in Heimdal.' Lloyd smirked mentally, feeling victorious. Although it was a minor disappointment that he wouldn't be able to see his best friend again, he wouldn't have gotten a word in edge wise with Presea; Genis would've been following her around nonstop. And although the price to pay for dancing with Presea – never mind the fact about sharing a room – was going to be hell, Lloyd knew that it was well worth it.

Smiling down at the pinket, Lloyd felt something inside of him surge into life; he had to tell her, or he'd most likely lose her to Genis. But … but maybe she _did_ love Genis – he didn't know, and now Lloyd was starting to wonder if not knowing how she felt was worse than not letting her know how he felt himself. 'I guess I have no choice but to say something …' He thought, and began to fidget.

Presea must've noticed his restlessness, because she sent him a worried glance. "Are there too many people around here, Lloyd?" She asked gently, to which the young man nodded. Looking around, Presea saw that one of the arching doorways that lead to the gardens was open. Pulling Lloyd towards it, she felt a sense of reality attack her; nobody was in the garden this time of night, so perhaps she and Lloyd could talk!

As soon as they entered the sprawling maze of flowers and shrubs, Lloyd instantly relaxed, and he soon stopped to stare back at the rest of the goings on inside the building. Presea turned to look as well, leaning against Lloyd's shoulder. More out of reflex than anything, Lloyd wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and the two stood there in contented silence.

After a while, however, Lloyd found his gaze drifting downwards towards Presea's face. In the light of the moon, she seemed to glow with a beautiful light from within, and all he could do was stare. 'Can I tell her?' he asked himself, and eventually he silenced the voice inside of his head. "Presea?" He asked gently, making her look up at him.

"Is something wrong, Lloyd?" She asked, turning to fully face him. Lloyd looked down at her with a soft smile, and he slowly shook his head, the moon caught in the deep red pools of his eyes.

"I don't know – it depends on what happens next …" He responded, and then drew a deep breath, as if he were preparing to brace himself for a long, arduous battle. Looking deep into Presea's eyes, Lloyd said softly, "Presea …

"I love you."

The pinket stood there in mild shock; had Lloyd just said that he loved her? She could tell that she was blushing, and the light that was emitted from the parlor showed that he was as well. He seemed embarrassed, ashamed, and frightened all at once. Smiling lightly, Presea stepped up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Is that so, Lloyd Aurion?" She asked lightly, making Lloyd turn to look at her. Blushing, Presea looked at his chest as she mumbled, "I … love you too …" She whispered softly, looking up at him through her bangs, smiling. Lloyd seem to be pleased with her answer, because he chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I guess I got lucky then, eh?" he asked, and used his free hand to tilt Presea's face up to his. When she nodded in response, his smile grew more, and he leaned in. "There's only one problem with this – I have no clue what the hell I'm doing." The statement made Presea laugh.

"And you think I do?" She teased, but leaned up and closed her eyes. "You goofball, let me show you." Lloyd chuckled again, and also leaned in closer, breathing softly. Just before they kissed, however, he whispered one thing.

"Then … show me love."

_

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XD_

_I just had to end it like that. Genis will be showing up next chapter, so the real drama will begin then!! XD We'll also see the reactions of the others as well, so be on the look out!!_

_Until next time, ja ne!_


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